THE ITALIAN army has decided to take the last 15 of the 60 Agusta A.129 Mangusta attack helicopters in "international" export configuration, although without the LHTEC T800 engine.
The helicopter, which was first used on active service during 1995 in Somalia, will be equipped with a 20mm gun, five-bladed rotor and the upgraded transmission designed for the T800.
"The original Mangusta was configured purely as an anti-tank helicopter," says Agusta senior executive vice-president Enrico Guerra. "The Somalia experience has shown us that we need more capability for other missions."
Agusta claims that the Mangusta is one of the few attack helicopters, which have the capability to carry TOW and Hellfire missiles, providing operators with a choice of capabilities and costs.
"The Mangusta offers a low procurement cost, but easily the greatest flexibility on weapons," claims the company.
There are, says Guerra, no plans to upgrade the army machines with T800s, which although more reliable and less expensive to operate, "...would require a great deal of expenditure to retrofit".
Source: Flight International